A New Challenge
by AoiLegend
Summary: AU: Mike is a 7 year-old boy with extraordinary intelligence and a traumatic past. Harvey is a arrogant hard-knock lawyer who just happened to receive the honor of becoming little Mike's role model. Can Mike break through Harvey's tough exterior and does the seemingly heartless lawyer have what it takes to mend the boy's broken life?
1. Mystery Child

**Hello everyone, this is my first time writing a fanfic for Suits and I'm a little nervous since it's a bit different from most of the ones I've read. My story will be extremely AU with Mike being a 7 year-old little boy but most everything else is the same. My kid Mike will probably be out of character a little since I've completely rewritten his past and consequently it's changed his personality in my perspective. However, I will try to keep Harvey and everyone else in character as much as I can. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

Young blue eyes scanned quickly through page after page of the daily paper; finally after the third flip, the child's eyes rested on the title: Big Win for _Pearson Hardman's_ Harvey Specter. When he was finished reading through the small black print, the boy's gaze shifted to stare longingly at the picture of the man next to the article. His little hands clenched the paper tightly as he soaked in the image of sophistication, success, and status. The photo was not simply a man standing confidently in an expensive three piece suite, but rather it symbolized the firm stability and respect that every heart desired.

The boy was startled out of his dreamy trance by a gruff voice, "Hey kid, you gonna buy that or what? You're crinklin' the paper." Looking up to the street vendor the boy shook his head and placed the newspaper back in the rack hanging on the side of the vending truck. There was no need for him to buy the paper since he had everything he needed stored away in his memory. The child turned away from the cart and faced the giant, elegant building that stood before him: _Pearson Hardman_.

~Suits~

Harvey Specter exited the court room doors with glowing pride radiating from him. A smug smile hung on his face while he descended the stone stairs leading down from the court house. After a major win in court today he was able to reach a rather favorable settlement before committing to trial, and he felt at the top of his game. Sometimes he wondered if there was anyone left to even challenge him since it seemed that he could break down any obstacle that he faced.

By the time he cleared the last step, he had already called Ray to pick him up. Of course Ray wasn't waiting for him since he finished earlier than intended after the opposition cracked. But on such a beautiful day, even the great Harvey Specter didn't mind waiting a few minutes outside.

As he was soaking in the sunshine on this victorious fall afternoon, he gradually became aware of a presence standing below him at his side. When Harvey glanced down curiously he was met with wishful cerulean eyes under a mop of dirty blond hair. The man's mouth tugged into a confused frown at the small child staring up at him.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a voice that was hardly gentle in any sense. He took a quick glance around the vicinity in case he could spot any frantic parents looking for a lost child, but nothing out of the ordinary met his eyes.

"September 12th, 2013: Last Wednesday a troubling case surrounding Garner's Pharmaceuticals was solved by the most unlikely participant: their defense lawyer, Harvey Specter. Originally the senior partner of Pearson Hardman was simply asked to defend against the claims that their newest arthritis medicine came with a possible side effect of kidney failure. Instead he went above and beyond by discovering the root of the problem in order to withdraw the allegations; he was able to prove that the kidney failure stemmed from a polluted water source that each victim happened to have in common," the childish voice rattled off out of the blue. "You're Harvey Spector," he said almost accusingly.

As refined and professional as Harvey was, he could hardly help but to stare with a shocked expression at the boy in front of him who looked to only be about six years old. "Was that from this morning's paper?" he asked with disbelief that the child had just recited the entire first paragraph of the article. Donna had given it to him first thing this morning happily showing him how his case made the paper; he of course didn't have it memorized unlike the strange child at his feet. "And yes, I am Harvey Specter, but who are you?"

"My name is Michael James Ross, but you can call me Mike, and I am going to be a lawyer just like you," he said with a proud grin and then added, "But better."

"Oh yah? They don't get much better than me kid," Harvey replied along with a hearty laugh. This little pipsqueak had some serious audacity.

"Well in that case, how come it isn't called Pearson Specter?" The boy chirped with a sly smile.

Harvey's smile dropped; that was a low blow for him. "Alright half-pint, where are your parents? I'm sure they're worried about where you've wondered off to. And while we're at it, we might as well look for your manners too," he said desperate to cover up his hurt ego. "How old are you even?"

"I'm eight!" Harvey gave the kid a skeptical look and Mike cracked easily, "Okay fine I'm seven…" He discretely avoided the man's gaze and rested his eyes on Harvey's torso instead. "I lied and said I was eight because being eight means I'm one year older and being one year older means you're one year stronger and more in control; so I need all the years I can get." Mike opened his mouth again to ramble on further, but Harvey stepped in not allowing his question to be buried any deeper.

"You didn't answer my first question; where are your parents?"

Mike stuck out his lower lip slightly at the reiterated question; Harvey swore it even trembled a little. "I'm not lost."

"That wasn't what I asked," Harvey said sternly. He was itching to get this kid out of his hair and back to the boy's parents.

"I want to work at Pearson Hardman! Will you please give me a job?" Mike blurted out suddenly. His voice was serious and passionate as he stared intently at the older man.

Taken back from this sudden request, Harvey struggled with his response, "What? No, you're just a kid! There's such a thing as child labor laws you know." His patience was running thin and his good mood from earlier was evaporating. "Mike, tell me where your parents are right now," he demanded with a slight groan.

But little Mike was adamant in his response and stood firm, "Take me to Pearson Hardman with you and I will tell you where my parents are. I will even tell you how to contact them."

Harvey let out a deep aggravated sigh and gave in to Mike's request just as Ray pulled up with the car. "Alright hotshot, have it your way, this is my car right here. And when we get back to Pearson Hardman, we can either call your parents or the police, your choice."

An eager nod showed that Mike was satisfied with this outcome and moved towards the car as Harvey opened the door to the back seat motioning for him to climb in. But before he set foot in the car, Mike stopped and appeared to think for a second before looking back at Harvey, then Ray in the driver's seat, and then he finally scooted in making room for Harvey. As soon as Harvey shut the door, Mike gave a cautious threat, "Now listen up Mr. Driver Man, if you go anywhere but in the direction of Pearson Hardman, then I'm gonna open the door and jump out yelling 'Help they kidnapped me!' And then you two are gonna be in big trouble so you better not mess with me!"

Ray and Harvey shared a glance through the review mirror and both had to restrain themselves from laughing. The loyal driver wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he figured he could play along, "Yes sir!" He told the boy which caused Mike to smile and ease into the seat. He liked being in control.

Harvey studied the small child sitting next to him pressing his face up against the glass; he was getting nose smudges all over it. "Take your grubby little nose off my window," he said shortly but without any sign of emotion. Now that he taken a closer look, the boy was actually pretty dirty and rough looking. He had rips in his dirt stained jeans and wore a beat up blue long sleeve shirt. There was dirt on his face as well and Harvey would've cringed if the thought of the boy getting dirt in his nice car had crossed his mind; but it didn't. Instead he was preoccupied with wondering why this boy looked so rugged. However, in a way he was kind of cute; he would probably charm Donna in an instant.

After the short ride to the law firm, Harvey led Mike through the building and up to his office. As they walked Harvey could feel the stares of the employees as they mentally launched questions at him like 'why is the tough, suave senior partner toting a child behind him through the firm?' And after enduring the weight of all those telepathic questions, the pair finally made it to Harvey's office where Donna promptly left her position from behind the desk when she saw her boss return with a small child.

"Harvey," Donna said with concern, "who's this little cutie?"

"This is Mike," he said but stopped short suddenly not quite sure how to explain the situation. Should he start with how the boy wanted a job at Pearson Hardman? Or maybe how he picked out Harvey Specter and refused to find his parents unless Harvey took him back to the firm?

But the decision was made for him when Mike piped up to declare his intent, "I want to work here; Harvey's gonna give me a job. I'm really smart and I remember everything."

Donna's mouth perked into an uncertain smile, "Oh is he now?" she said while arching a questioning eyebrow in Harvey's direction.

"No I'm not, Mike, it's your turn to hold up your end of the deal. Why don't you tell Donna your parent's phone number so she can call them? You said you remember everything right?" Harvey said feigning kindness; now that they were in the presence of Donna he had to act somewhat gentle towards the seven-year-old if he wanted to stay out of Donna's crosshairs.

Without warning all animation from the child's face dropped right off. "Of course I remember their phone numbers, but it doesn't matter because no one will answer," he said solemnly.

Harvey and Donna shared a questioning glance before the gentler woman tried her approach, "Why won't they answer sweetie? Where are they?"

Then Mike's ocean blue eyes looked right into her hazel eyes as he spoke devoid of all emotion, "They're dead. They're in the ground."

"Oh…" she responded as she pursed her lips; even she was at loss at this unexpected development. "Mike honey, why don't you go into Harvey's office and sit on his comfy couch?" she said and pointed towards the mentioned place. Mike nodded and went where he was directed; unbeknownst to the two adults, he understood that this meant they wanted to talk alone about him.

As soon as the glass door was shut, Donna whipped her head to glare at Harvey, "Where the heck did you find this kid?"

The usually prepared lawyer held his hands up in defense, "I don't know, he found me!" Harvey continued on to give her the short story about how the boy had randomly just popped up outside of the court house and then refused to leave until he got his way. "I'm seriously ready to just call the police or social services and let them take him." But at this comment the office door swung open and little Mike stood in the doorway with a fierce look in his eyes.

"Don't you dare call the police or social services on me! If you even think about it then I will tell them that you kidnapped me and took me against my will!" Mike shouted. His little fists were balled up and he stood with his arms out in order to make himself look bigger and hopefully more intimidating. Unfortunately for him, his bright blue eyes and adorable seven-year-old body made looking intimidating impossible.

"Whoa calm down there sparky. First of all we need to do something about you, I can't just keep a kid in my office and you certainly can't terrorize the streets alone. Second of all, no one would believe you if you told that lie because I have plenty of witnesses to back my story including my driver, Ray. So either you tell us who we can call to pick you up or we call social services."

Donna gave her boss a nudge in his side and whispered, "Harvey, that was kinda harsh." After all, this poor boy was probably an orphan. She dropped down to the boy's level and spoke softly, "Mike, all we want is to get you back to your home and whoever your guardian is. Do you have a grandma or grandpa we can call? Maybe an aunt or uncle?" To each one of these Mike shook his head no and finally he shook his head so violently that Donna just stopped, worried that if she continued any longer then the boy's head would fly off.

"I won't go back into foster care. If you call anyone to pick me up then I will run out of here faster than a cheetah and I will find a new law firm to work at," the child said with a determined look on his face.

Harvey shook his head but a small smile snuck onto his face. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but to be amazed at the little boy's determination to work and be independent. Also, what did he mean by 'foster care again'? What had happened to make the child so terrified of returning to the system?

Finally conceding that there was no logical way out of this mess, Harvey decided to think outside of the box. "Fine, you want a job here? Then you're going to work with Donna for this afternoon and do everything she tells you to okay? I need to meet with a client so for the time being, Donna is your boss and you will be her associate. Then when I come back, I will figure out if you're cut out for the job or not, deal?"

The child's face lit up like a neon light board in Las Vegas as he nodded his head furiously. "Deal! I won't let you down!"

Donna flashed Harvey a smile that secretly communicated '_aww you're so sweet'_ and agreed to serving as Mike's boss until Harvey could return. She was bothered and concerned about this whole situation and wondered what in the world was going on in this little boy's life, but she agreed with Harvey in that there was nothing they could do at the moment. And as well as she knew Harvey, she could tell that even her hard knock boss was worried about the strange little boy beaming in front of them.

~Suits~

While Harvey was meeting with his client, Donna and Mike were busy "working". At first they began with Mike showing her why he was suited to work as an associate at Pearson Hardman. He picked some law books out of Harvey's shelf and handed them to her saying that he had already read them and that she should quiz him. Initially Donna was incredibly confused but when she began to read a sentence out of one of the books, Mike cut her off mid-sentence and finished off what she was reading. Dumbfounded, Donna repeated this a few more times each with the same result of Mike reciting word for word the text that was found in the complex law book.

After the display of little Mike's genius wits, Donna declared that he was ready to boss around some of the first-year associates. She led the boy to the bullpen and told him to deliver files to one of the new associates saying that Harvey needed them done by that night. Much to her surprise, he went a little power hungry and bossed around the associate like it was his actual job; he did such a good job that Luis had to come out and see what all the commotion was about. When the junior partner complained about a child being in the office, Mike just figured that the funny looking man was worried he would lose his job to a kid.

Meanwhile, after Harvey finished meeting with the client, he had to go out with Jessica to meet with a potential client in order to persuade them. As good as he was at his job; he couldn't keep a part of his mind from returning to thinking about Mike. What in the world was he going to do with the kid anyway?

It was 7'oclock when Harvey returned to the office and found Donna sitting at her desk without Mike. He couldn't help the initial worry until he let out a slight smile when he saw that Mike was lying down on his couch. Donna gave him a taunting smirk letting him know that she had seen his expression of concern. He made his way to his secretary's desk and leaned an arm on it as he looked at the sleeping little boy. "Thanks for watching him and keeping him occupied."

"No problem; I actually really like Mikey. We did some good work together," she said with a wink.

Harvey let out a laugh, "Mikey? Are you guys so close now that you're allowed to have a nickname for him?"

Donna returned his laugh with a fond smile but then her attitude sobered. "Harvey, I'm not kidding when I say this kid is a genius. I think he has an eidetic memory. He told me he read all of the law books at the library; some of the same ones were on your shelf and he had me quiz him on it. It was amazing, I just read the beginning of a sentence on any page and he could immediately finish the paragraph. It was like nothing I've ever seen before."

"But that's not all," she continued as her tone shifted to one of compassion, "I think he has a history of abuse. He was fine whenever I ruffled his hair or put a hand on his shoulder, but if a male associate were to try to touch him, he would flinch away and back up. When Sam went to pat him on the head he instinctively raised his arms in defense as if he thought Sam was going to hit him."

After listening to all Donna had to say and mulling it over, Harvey inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've decided that I'm going take him home with me for the night. Unless he leads me to where he's been staying, I don't know what else to do."

Donna nodded in agreement, "Call me if you need anything at all."

Since Harvey was afraid to touch the boy after the account that Donna gave, she was the one to gently shake Mike awake. After his eyes had fully opened, Harvey asked the boy where he wanted to go for the night, and it hardly surprised him when Mike answered "work." The three of them left Pearson Hardman, Donna took her own car and Mike and Harvey were driven by Ray. For a while, the two sat in silence in the back seat until Harvey finally spoke the question that had been pressing on his mind all night.

"Why did you choose me?" he asked in a gentle voice and made eye contact with the little boy.

Mike gave him a sleepy smile and responded simply, "I didn't choose you, I challenged you."

**Thank you so much for reading my story and I hope it was enjoyable. I will try to post a new chapter as soon as I can since I have great plans for this fanfic :) Please leave a review and let me know what you think; I would really appreciate it!**


	2. Trust Issues With a Side of Baseball Bat

**A thousand thank you's for all the wonderful reviews I received on the first chapter! I didn't mean to make you all wait this long for the second chapter, but you know it's finals time so life get's real. But really, I can't even begin to explain how thankful and appreciative I am for all the feedback I got!**

**Warning: This chapter alludes to both physical and sexual abuse. I may have to change the story's rating later on depending on how much detail I put into poor Mike's past. **

Initially Mike was hardly awake enough to realize that he was now with a barely known man and being driven to somewhere that was clearly not Pearson Hardman, but now as the sleepy haze cleared from his brain he began to worry. "Harvey, where are we going?" He asked with and concern dripping from his voice. The little boy tried to mask his fear and replace it with boldness.

"Well I have no clue where you're staying, or if you even have a place to sleep, so I thought you could crash at my place. It would be easier for you to get to work the next day," he said throwing an extra incentive along with a warm smile. One look at the boy's face revealed he was stone cold and frozen in his tracks, no doubt reliving some horrible experience that left him scarred forever. Harvey felt a strange urge to reach over and assure him that everything would be okay and he would never hurt the kid; but he wasn't sure if that would cause more good than harm.

Mike seemed positively resolute to keep his face devoid of all expression. He couldn't let his weakness show because he knew that the predator would attack at the first glimpse of panic. Instead he held strong and adamantly declared, "I have a place to sleep and you can take me there right now. I will give your driver instructions." His eyes darted all around as he surveyed his surroundings and pulled up a mental map of the area. "Turn right at the next intersection," he told the older man and looked at him with an expectant glare.

Harvey was in no position to argue so he gave in simply to the little boy's demands, "Go where he tells you Ray." Besides, he was curious as to where Mike was staying; it wouldn't hurt either of them to let the child have his way. If in the end Harvey decided that it was unfit for the boy to stay wherever he was residing, then he would cross that bridge when they came to it.

When they arrived at the place the child had directed them to, Harvey's face fell. It was a condemned apartment building in a shady part of town. But as soon as the car stopped, Mike unlocked the door and hopped out hurriedly. But the usually not-so-caring lawyer was not about to let the boy go so simply; it's not that he cared or anything, he was just doing his duty as a good citizen. Wasn't there some quote about how it takes a village to raise a child? Well his input into this philosophy would be to not allow this intelligent seven-year-old boy to live in some condemned apartment. Don't get the man wrong, Harvey was only stepping in because he didn't want to waste the child's potential.

Harvey got out of the car as well and met Mike halfway to the entrance (which could hardly be called a door). "Hold on there kiddo, there's no way I can let you stay here. This place doesn't have electricity or probably even running water, and I can't just let a seven-year-old stay alone in such a dangerous part of town! We can collect any stuff that you have, but unless you have another adult you can stay with, you're gonna have to stay at my place."

His mind ran wild as the flashbacks started and his little fists clenched and shook in frustration, but not a single tear fell from Mike's eyes. He could handle this; he had a plan that had been proven to work before and it would work now. The child let out a shaky breath and looked at Harvey glaring into the cold dark eyes that he perceived. "Fine, but I have something I need to get."

The lawyer nodded and gestured for Mike to go ahead but that he was coming too. The little boy didn't seem particularly happy about this, but Harvey couldn't understand why. Here he was, practically saving this kid's life, and all the boy could muster was anger. Harvey was going to give him food, clean water, electricity, a warm shelter, and hopefully a bath (because the kid was filthy) and the little boy couldn't even say thank you? By now he would've thought that even if the kid had been abused, surely Mike could tell that Harvey had no intention of hurting him. He didn't have any experience with handling abuse victims, but was it really possible to be this mentally damaged?

Mike led the older man up a couple flights of stairs, during which Harvey held his breath like his life depended on it, and it probably did. The little boy was hoping that since the stairs weren't used to holding up fully grown adults, then maybe they would collapse and bring the intruder down with them. Fortunately for unsuspecting Harvey, the stairs held up and soon the two stood in front of a door that the little boy pushed open with ease.

Harvey swallowed a lump in his throat when he saw the lone mattress covered in stains lying in the corner of the room. The walls were bare and cracked and the only light to fill the room was the dying sun setting on the other side of the barred window.

The child walked slowly to the mattress, reached behind it and pulled out a baseball bat. He turned to face Harvey as he held it over his shoulder ready to swing if needed. Mike sucked in a big breath and stood tall and strong as he spoke with only a slight quiver in his voice, "Now you better leave the way you came right now or I'm gonna start swinging! I won't let you take me!"

The man's eyes widened at this sudden turn of unexpected events. "Mike, why are you threatening me? I only want to help you, I promise." Harvey held his hands up as if to further signify his harmless intent.

"I know what you really want! You either want to hurt me or touch me or both!" The boy yelled. His lip gave a slight quiver and his big blue eyes looked ready to water, but he was determined to stay resolute.

And at those words Harvey's heart gave a sickening twist within him and he felt like he wanted to throw up. Hurt or touch or both; the man couldn't believe his ears. This poor little boy in front of him had suffered such despicable things, and how in the world was Harvey supposed to fix this? Should he call Donna? Maybe a woman's coaxing would be easier; maybe the kid could stay at her house. Instead, Harvey attempted something totally out of character: he decided to try to comfort the fragile little boy in front of him.

"Mike, Mikey," he said softly remembering what Donna had called the child earlier that day. Just a few hours ago the boy had worn a completely different persona: headstrong and unafraid. And now, he was bursting at the seams. "I'm never going to hurt you, and I promise I will never touch you in a bad way," but when he saw Mike simply shake his head and shut his stormy eyes tight, he knew he had to prove it. "Mikey, remember how I only drove you to Pearson Hardman like you asked? And how I gave you a job? You worked really hard and did great; I think Donna would like you to work for her again. And remember how I brought you here just like you asked and I followed all of your directions? So don't you think you can trust me? You can even bring your baseball bat if you still want protection, but let's go home to my place. I've got some really yummy food, how does pasta sound? I'm sure you're hungry."

Mike cracked his eyes open and his grip on the bat loosened slightly. His stomach had been rumbling a bit; he hadn't eaten since Donna gave him half of her sub sandwich during the lunch break. But the little boy didn't respond as he was still torn between being cautious or trusting.

Harvey smiled encouragingly at the child hoping to win him over more. He took a step towards Mike and crouched down so he could be at eye level with the boy. "And if you want, you can even sleep in a big clean bed with lots of blankets; I guarantee it will be much comfier than that mattress on the floor."

With that last incentive, Mike's facial expression relaxed and he lowered his bat but still kept hold. He gave a little nod and whispered a small, "okay."

A grin spread across Harvey's face as he felt a satisfaction that he had never experienced before. It was a sense of victory, but much different from the victory he had felt after winning cases or scoring big at work. It was unexplainably much more pleasant.

"Can you hold my hand for when we go down the stairs?" he asked gently as the warm smile still clung to his face. At the moment he was too caught up in the moment to think about what Donna or anyone else would say if they knew he had held a little boy's hand, and it was worse since he was the one that asked for it.

Mike pursed his lips in a way that made him irresistibly cute as his face communicated that he was an independent boy, "I don't need any help; I've walked up and down those stairs lots of times." Yet the child slipped his small hand into the larger one anyway.

"Oh I know you don't need any help; I'm the one that's going to need help! Those stairs scare me!" Harvey told him. He was being truthful, maybe exaggerating a little bit as he added childish animation to his voice, but the tall man certainly didn't trust those stairs.

"Don't worry, you don't need to be afraid," the kid said sweetly with a little smile.

And that was when Harvey knew that this boy could break through his stone heart and win him over.

~Suits~

On the way home Harvey asked Ray to stop at the nearest store where he could find a tooth brush and kid's clothes. Mike had fallen asleep lying across the back seats, working at the firm must've tuckered him out, so Harvey was on his own in buying clothes he thought might fit the small seven-year-old. He purchased a pair of blue pajamas, a few long sleeve shirts, jeans, and even a jacket. At least buying the toiletries was easy since he didn't have to worry about different sizes.

Before Mike knew it, Harvey was gently shaking him awake and leading him up to a rich penthouse apartment. Dinner with a sleepy Mike went by just as quick and 10'oclock was right around the corner. Of course Harvey didn't know much about kids, but he knew that a seven-year old probably shouldn't stay up this late. But if he was going to let Mike sleep in his guest bed, then that kid needed a bath.

"Alright Mike, I think it would be a good idea if you took a nice warm bath before bed," Harvey said as he finished washing up both his and mike's plates. At this suggestion Mike's eyes widened to the size of a full moon and Harvey piped in quickly to clear up any misunderstandings. "Don't worry kid, you can take it all by yourself. There's some kid shampoo already in there, and don't forget to bring your new PJ's in so you can change after you're done. If you need me to start the bath water don't be afraid to ask, I promise I will leave right after." Harvey watched with a frown as the boy picked up his baseball bat and then the pajamas and carried both into the bathroom with him. He knew it would be hard trying to mend the kid's scars and gain his trust, but was it really necessary to bathe with a baseball bat for protection?

Ten minutes later the bathroom door opened to reveal an adorable Mike in his light blue pajamas holding his baseball bat. But rather than the bat being raised in defense, it was dragged carelessly by his side as he made his way to Harvey on the couch. "Where's the bed you promised?" he asked in a drained voice. All of his earlier confidence and demand were gone as the boy let his guard down for the first time in a long while.

Harvey was unable to hold back a smile at the cute child who was presented before him. "Right this way buddy," he said and then motioned as if he was leading the boy to a fancy hotel room. He led Mike into the spare guest bedroom and pulled down the covers for the boy to climb in. Mike did just that and laid the bat next to him and pulled the comforter back up. He watched carefully as Harvey said goodnight, turned off the light, and left the room. The skeptical boy felt the need to get out of bed and peek through the crack in the door and watch Harvey. He needed to know that this wasn't a trap; he needed to know that the man wouldn't come in later and do something terrible to him, but his strength had left him and he decided to try a little faith. Mike shut his eyes and let sleep take over.

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and again, feedback in the form of reviews is much obliged! Let me know your thoughts, critiques, or even suggestions for what you would like to see in future chapters! I know the rough direction in where I want this story to go, but as of right now there is no definite story plot so if you guys have requests I will try to incorporate them!**

**And for the lovely reader82 that asked for me to update Conned by a Kid, I'm so sorry I've let that fanfic slip! I really love that story and I even know the outline for the next couple of chapters, I just got upset about the predicament of White Collar :( but I will try my absolute hardest to put up some more chapters especially now that school is finished!**


	3. Toughen Up

**Hello all my amazing readers! I apologize deeply from the very bottom of my heart for my extended absence from uploading. I felt so bad, but I was just busy with school and then summer was just as busy and then I started college and that was busy... but even though life got less busy I still couldn't upload because I had writer's block. I know where I want this story to go, but I just don't know how to get there. This is simply a transitional chapter, a little bit boring in my opinion, but it's something so I figured I would go with it. **

**Please help me out, if I get over this writer's block then I can upload another chapter sooner! If you have any ideas for future chapters or what should happen between Harvey and little Mike, please write about it in a review! I would love to hear your ideas and if I use one of them I will personally thank that person and dedicate the chapter to them!**

**Oh and one more thing: I know Harvey may seem a little out of character, but if you all remember, Harvey can actually be quite good with kids. There was that one girl that he was dating that was taking care of her niece and Harvey interacted very well with the little girl. So I'm writing Harvey's character with some proficiency in dealing with children.**

Little Mike peeked his eyes open slowly but then awoke with a sudden start when he didn't recognize his surroundings. There were no signs of dilapidation in the room, no cracks on the ceiling, no stains on the wall and no critters scurrying around anywhere. Instead of his twisted expectations, his bright blue eyes took in a gentle light seeping through the light blue curtains to his left and his tiny body enjoyed the comfort of the queen sized bed covered in a lush baby blue comforter. Despite his baseball bat having rolled onto the floor during the night, he felt incredibly at peace. A sleepy smile crept onto his face and he relished in the delight induced by the dream. It was such a lovely dream, he thought, the first good dream in a very long time.

When the door creaked open, Mike turned his head to see a suave man in a three piece suit standing in the doorway. His smile slipped off of his face as he realized that this was reality. Now it was time for the adult man to abuse him or do strange things to him.

"Mike, you're awake. I have some breakfast for you; come eat before we go to the office." That's right, he had chosen Harvey for a reason. Now was no time to back down scared with his tail between his legs; he needed to toughen up and be brave.

Harvey watched as the child wrestled out of his covers and hopped out of bed. Little feet patted against the carpeting and soon Mike met Harvey at the door. Breakfast was a quiet affair and Harvey was itching to know the thoughts that were running through the little boy's head. The intelligent lawyer could tell that Mike was thinking hard about something, but he was happily surprised when the previously distrusting child hadn't brought his baseball bat with him. Finally, Mike turned his gaze to Harvey and put down the toast that he was munching on. "I'm sorry I was so distrusting of you. I realize that it may seem irrational from your perspective. After all, I was the one to single you out. Whenever it's dark I just get scared all of the sudden and you can't trust anyone in the dark because you can't tell who anyone is," Mike finished in a sorrowful tone.

"It's okay kid, I understand. It's not irrational for you to be distrusting, it's very important to be cautious and protect yourself. But I promise you can trust me, Donna will vouch for me. I'm not going to hurt you or touch you in any way that would make you feel uncomfortable," Harvey said clearly and calmly. It was good that the boy was opening up to him, but at the same time it gave him a weird pain in his chest to hear the hurtful words of such a small child.

After Mike had finished eating and then gotten dressed in some of the new clothes Harvey had picked up for him, the two climbed into the car. Instead of the ride to the office being silent however, the little boy was bouncing and squirming and talking a mile a minute and Harvey couldn't believe the sudden transformation. Mikey expressed his great enthusiasm to go to work and see Donna and read and do everything a lawyer does, and when he had ran out of things to talk about then he decided to play twenty questions with Harvey. "What case are you working on right now? Louis looks like a funny rat. What is Louis like? Donna said you two don't get along, why don't you get along? Are you and Donna married? What's Donna's favorite color?" Mike rambled on not even providing enough time in between questions for Harvey to answer.

Finally Harvey was fed up. "Enough! Calm down you little energizer bunny!" the man said with great irritation. The little boy flinched and shrunk back at Harvey's angry eruption. Once Harvey noticed this, he did his best to calm down and hide any annoyance in his voice. "What's gotten into you?" he asked hoping his tone was kind enough to set Mike at ease.

The little boy looked as if he wanted to shut himself up, but his mouth simply wouldn't obey his brain. "I can't help it, I suddenly have all this energy and I can't contain it! My everything is twitchy and my thoughts are going so fast I can't catch them!" he cried in a conflicted voice.

"You didn't dump sugar on your toast did you?" Harvey asked in confusion. What could possibly make the boy so hyper all of the sudden?

Mike's eyes went wide and he shoved his fists in his lap while fidgeting. "Well no but… I did try some of your gross chocolate milk but it wasn't very sweet so I just tried to get some sugar from the sugar bowl. Maybe I put too much in… it was only like four spoonful's."

The lawyer's mouth dropped. No wonder he didn't remember finishing his cup of coffee; Mike must've finished it off when he went to the bathroom. The caffeinated coffee along with four table spoons of sugar would definitely explain a hyper active seven year-old. "Mike that wasn't chocolate milk, that was coffee; you should never drink an adult's drink. And don't ever add sugar to anything, it's just gross and not healthy. " he softly scolded.

Those baby blue eyes communicated a sheepish and sorry look and Harvey could hardly stay mad. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again," the child said in a pitiful voice and then added in a small whisper, "You're not going to punish me are you?"

The adult quickly shook his head and then placed a reassuring hand on Mike's shoulder. "I'm not going to punish you, but you better stop bouncing or else you won't be allowed to work," Harvey told him. Never in his life would the great Harvey Specter have thought that he would have to threaten a child with not being allowed to work. The threat worked too and Mikey's fidgeting quickly died down and he clamped his little hands onto the edge of the seat and looked as if he was trying with all of his might to not move.

"I will be so still," he told his boss with great determination.

The two arrived at Pearson Hardman and Harvey walked briskly through the halls like he owned the place and was just daring someone to ask him why there was a small child following close behind him. Mike on the other hand was still jittery and couldn't help but to look all around and notice that he was the only one not wearing a tie. He really needed a tiny suit for himself and decided that was the first thing he would spend his paycheck on.

As soon as Mike saw Donna he waved at her, "Hi Miss Boss!" he said in an excited voice.

Donna came out from behind her desk and greeted Mikey by ruffling his hair, "Hey Mikey, did you get a good rest? I got some puzzles for you and put them in Harvey's office, why don't you go check them out?"

The little boy nodded and proceeded to enter Harvey's office in search of the puzzles. Before Harvey could follow after him, Donna grabbed his sleeve. The combination of Donna's troubled expression and her sudden unexpected contact made the man worry. "Harvey I did some research on Michael Ross, what I found out isn't good." Harvey swallowed; even though he already knew Mike's childhood was anything but good, it still made him cringe to hear it. He turned to see Mike in the office opening one of the puzzle boxes and then returned to Donna and nodded for her to continue. "His parent's died in a car crash with a drunk driver when he was four years-old. His grandmother was his only family left but she was too sickly to care for such a young boy and so he was placed into a foster home. Mike stayed with Charles and Caroline Baylor for a year and a half but one day his kindergarten teacher noticed some bruises on Mike's torso and a cut on his cheek. She was concerned so she called the Division of Child and Family Services to investigate. They found evidence that the Charles Baylor was physically abusing Mike, but when they came to take Mike and arrest Charles, it turned out that Mike had ran away the day before. He ran away a month before his sixth birthday, but the police never found him."

By the end of the story Donna's eyes were shimmering with tears but she refused to let one fall in front of her boss. Harvey had heard enough of the poor boy's life story, and he didn't want to make Donna any more upset than she already was, but she needed to know what happened after Mike ran away.

The usually unemotional lawyer wasn't sure how to start what he was about to say, but he just jumped right into it without any warning. "I saw where Mike was staying; it was an abandoned and probably condemned apartment building. It was so horrible it even made me sick," and that was saying something because Harvey was not one to get queasy, "I accompanied him into the building and he pulled a baseball bat on me in order to protect himself. Donna, he thought I was going to sexually abuse him," Harvey finished with a strained voice that was barely more than a whisper.

The two adults turned their attention to the innocent little boy sticking puzzle pieces together in Harvey's office. In the past couple of minutes he had completed the first puzzle that consisted of 500 pieces and now a jungle scene with a leopard and tiger lay across Harvey's floor. Both adults were amazed at the child's intelligence and they couldn't believe at the unfortunate life that had befallen the young genius. He didn't deserve this; the poor child deserved a fair chance to succeed in life and be safe and provided for. Harvey may not have cared for many of his clients, or many adults in that case, but kids were different. Kids were supposed to be innocent and untainted by the corruption of the world. Mike's misfortune wasn't right; it was horrible, and Harvey felt the need to fix it somehow.

**Thanks so much for reading! Sorry it's a short chapter after so many months of not posting anything... once again, please leave a review with either ideas or just comments.**


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